Dolphins' Minkah Fitzpatrick ready for opener against Titans

Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick will play in his first regular-season NFL game this Sunday against the Titans at Hard Rock Stadium. While some rookies may be overly excited about playing in their first professional game, Fitzpatrick seems to have a business type of approach to it.

“I’m just thinking about doing my assignment right now,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this week. “When you start thinking about all of the other things, you lose focus on what you have to focus on. I just want to make sure I’m focused on the right things, doing my assignment, make sure I’m communicating, playing fast, playing physical and just playing my game.”

The Dolphins selected Fitzpatrick in the first round of April’s draft with the thought of him playing as a safety. But recently, the team has been cross-training him to play multiple roles on their defense.

After Bobby McCain moved from slot cornerback to the boundary opposite Xavien Howard, Fitzpatrick was inserted into the starting nickel spot. The Dolphins hope Fitzpatrick’s versatility will be a bonus to their defense.

“Right now I’m not really moving around too much,” Fitzpatrick said. “A little bit of nickel, a little bit of free safety, strong safety. They are coaching me through it. I’m watching the older guys do what they do and making sure I’m paying attention all the time, don’t lose focus and that’s it.”

Fitzpatrick should also see some time at safety as he shared time with Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald during the preseason. While Fitzpatrick knows he will have his missteps as a rookie, he is just focusing on learning as time goes along.

“Obviously, there are days where I’ve made my mistakes,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m not going to be perfect stepping in right away. I’m just trying to learn from the older guys and kind of do what they do and just learn from my mistakes and keep pushing. Like I was saying to him, just keep going day by day. Learn from the bad days and keep pushing through the good days.”

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